Attachment for heel-nailing machines



De.12, 1944. MDE WOLFE 2,365,060

ATTACHMENT FOR HEEL-NAILING MACHINES Filed Oct. 2l, 1942 Patented Dec. 12, 1944 UNITED STATES PAT ENT -oiFFIcE `AT'.rAcHMENT Fon rIEL-NAIILING MACHINESl Clarence M. De Wolfe, Somerville, Mass., -assignor to The B. F. GoodrichtCompanypNew York, N. Y., avcorporationA of New York npplicationoctober 21, 1942,' 'seriar'NdJ-iezio c lGlaimsi This inventionlrelates to heel-nailing machines suchasa're utilized `for at'tachir'1g`iv'ooden heels to shoes, and particularly relates to'an attachnient to be'- used onv and with slch lmachines'.

In the'rnannfacture "or shoes having Wooden heelsit'is commonupactice to employ a semiatomatic machine for nailing the Wooden heels ont-he shoes; This'ma'ch-ine includes" a nail storageportonan'd means for transferring'the nails from storagefto'a naiIre'ceiVer so that ,driving means can be employed for nailing `the heels onto the'shoe. The nail transferring means, in most machines, includeswa moving carrier 4means for transporting the nails'to nailing Vposition inthe nail receiver, In order too-bt'ain maximum production per"machine the movement of the nail carrier mean-sis usually quite rapid. Because of this rapid movement of the nail "carrier means nails 'arehqui-te often jarred or shaken out of place and, valthough the Waste in nails isv not great, it results in incorrectly jn'ailed shoes and sometimes inbroken heels. It isan object of this in- `vention to provide an attachment for heel-nailing machines so that the nails may beheld positively in position While-'they are being transported to the nail receiver preparatoryto their being driven vinto a shoe heel.

In rpracticing my invention With avheel-nailing machine ofthertype described above, I-provide an attachment on the nail carriermeans which comprevents the-nailsfrombeing'lost intransit,` In the more common type of heel-nailingmachine which'includ'es'a` nail'hopper as the nail storagev portion, a nail receiver, and carrier means comprising a nail carrier block having apertures therein for receiving the nails, I provide elements including closure means normally overlying the apertures, in the nail carrier block While thev block is travelling from the nail hopper to the nail receiver. There is also provided means for opening the closure means When the nail carrier block is positioned under the nail hopper. The closure means of this invention may conveniently consist of a flat hinged elo-sure plate held in its normally closed position by means of an ordinary spring or similar resilient element. The meansl for opening the closure means can be a raised and preferably curled portion on the flat closure plate which is engaged by a projection on the nail hopper to push the closure means up and to one side so that it will not interfere with filling the aperturesvinthenaii"carrier biokwith nails from the nail'hopper. V v n p The irlVc-:ntion-a'lsv illustrated by a' preferred einbo'diment Will be described in greater detail with reference tothe accompanying dravving, of'vvhich liigjly is an elevation of a portion of'a heel-nailing machine with the attachment comprising my inventionin 'place thereon, snc'fces'sive positions of the nail'carrierblock and closure' plate being shown in broken lines; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view'of the' nailcarrier blckl with the closre ,means of 'this invention thereonin-partially openedpositin.

Ina typical heel-nailing machinefIO having 'a rigid`i`rarneWork` I'I as illustrated, there is usually provided' an anvil I2 'againstlwhi'ch a shoe heel 'can be held vvhile nails N are being driv'en'into it. Immediately beneath "theanvilfIZ 'there isprio-I vided a hal'mer guide 'I3 on'whi'ch'the AShoeis placed for the nai-ling operation and Vvvithnthis hammer' guidethei'eis provided a nail receiver I4 for holding thenails'N i`n driving position and a vertically acting power-'driven'h'ammer rI 5` (power meansnot shovvn) for driving thefna'ils! int'o the shoe. There is also provided a nail'hopper I6 `for holding -a supply of4 nails and a n'ail carrier block I'Ifto carry the nails from` the nailhopper Ii`1`t`o the'nail receiver I4 so 4thatv theAA nails 'may beplac'ed in position 'tobe driveny by the po'vver driveiinammer'la In' order that the sans will be placed in' proper Aposition` for "driving,I the "nail hopper le feedsV the nansjheadoownward Ainto 'apertures I 8 in ft'henail carrie'rblockdl. When lthe carrierblock ispositionedfover the nailreceiver I4 thenailsfdrop dovvn into the receiver and the carrier block I'Iis Are'tlilfiytothe hopper for another load of nails.l While the carrier block is on its return journey the nails v`are "driven `into the shoe by the hammer I5.

As can be seen from the above description, if the nails are jarred from the nail carrier block I1 while it is moving from the nail hopper I6 to the nail receiver I4, there will be an insuilicient number of nails delivered 'to the receiver and some of the shoes will be ruined. In order to prevent such loss I provide an attachment to serve as closure means over the nail carrier block I1 so that' the nails will not be jarred from position by the rapid movement ofthe carrier block from the hopper to the receiver. A typical embodiment of this clo-sure means may conveniently consist of a closure plate I9 attached to the nail carrier block I1 as by means of a screw 20. This closure plate I9 covers the top of the carrier block and has a hinged joint 2I so that it may be raised from the top of the carrier block when the block is under the nail hopper I6. In order to hold the closure means in its normally closed position there is provided a spring or similar resilient means 22 (Fig. 2) at the hinged joint 2I of the closure plate. The closure plate is also provided with a raised, curled'portion 23 on the end opposite the hinged edge and on the side next the hopper when the carrier block I1 is traveling from the nail receiver to the hopper.

In operating a heel-nailing machine provided with the new attachment of this invention, the nail carrier block I1 is caused to move from the nail hopper I6, to the nail receiver I4, back to the nail hopper, and so on, by reciprocating motion set up as by means of a rack 24 and driving pinion (not shown). As the nail carrier block I'I is pulled under the nail hopper I6 to pick up a supply of nails, the raised, curled portion 23 of the closure plate I9 engages a projection 25 provided on the nail hopper. This raises the closure plate from over the top of the carrier block I1 and permits nails to be fed into apertures I8 in the carrier block. When the' carrier block is pushed along its path toward its position over the nail receiver I4 the spring 22 on the hinged edge 2l of the closure plate forces the plate in closed position over the Icarrier block and holds it there. The nails N are deposited in the nail receiver over the power-driven hammer I and the nail carrier block is returned for another loadof nails. Then the hammer I5 drives the nails home in the heel of a shoe that is placed in position in the machine. As can be seen the closure plate of this invention is in closed position over the carrier block at all times except when the block is in its position under the nail hopper to receive its load of nails and any possibility of accidental loss of the nails from the carrier block is completely eliminated.

Having described my invention as embodied in a preferred device, it is my intention that the invention be construed broadly within the spirit and scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a nailing machine of the character described including a nail hopper, a nail receiver, and a nail carrier block arranged for reciprocating travel between the hopper and the receiver and having .apertures therein, hinged closure means normally overlying the apertures in the nail carrier block while the block is travelling vfrom the nail hopperto the nail receiver, and meansfor hingedly opening the said closure means when the 'nail carrier blofck is positioned under the'nailhopper.

2. In a nailing machine of the character described including a nail hopper, a nail receiver, and a nail carrier block arranged for reciprocating travel between the hopper and the receiver and having apertures therein, elements including closure means normally overlying the apertures in the nail carrier block while the block is travelling from the nail hopper to the nail receiver, and means for opening the said closure means when the nail carrier block is positioned under the nail hopper, said closure means comprising a hinged closure plate, and means tending resiliently to hold the plate in its normally closed position over the apertures in the nail carrier.

3. In a nailing machine of the general character described including nail supplying means, nail receiving means and travelling means for carrying nails from the supplying means to the receiving means, the combination with the aforesaidmeans of a cover plate for retaining nails in the nail carrying means during its travel, and means for lifting the cover plate from the nail carrying means to expose the nail carrying means to the nail supplying means.

4. In a nailing machine of the general character described including nail supplying means, nail receiving means and travelling means for carrying nails from the supplying means to the receiving means, the combination with the aforesaid means of a cover plate for retaining nails in the nail carrying means during it-s travel, and cam means for raising the cover plate from the top of the nail carrying means at the nail supplying means.

5. In a nailing machine of the general character described including nail supplying means, nail receiving means and travelling means for carrying nails from the supplying means to the receiving means, the combination with the aforesaid means of a cover plate for retaining nails in the nail carrying means during its travel, said cover plate having a projecting portion adapted to cooperate in a. cam-like fashion with another portion of the structure to effect upwardmovement of the :cover plate from the top of the nail carrying means at the nail supplying means.

6. In a nailing machine of the general character described including nail supplying means, nail receiving mea-ns, and travelling means for carrying nails from the supplying'means to thel receiving means, the combination with the aforesaid means of a pivotally mounted cover for retaining nails in the nail carrying means during its travel, and means for causing upward pivotal movement of the Icover plate to expose the nail carrying means as it approaches the nail supplying means. A

CLARENCE M. DE WOLFE. 

